1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to thermoplastic handling devices and methods of using them, and more specifically, to a portable device and method of heating thermoplastic materials and subsequently spraying them.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Thermoplastic coatings are often used in various mechanisms and machine parts in order to keep the system in good working order. For example, bearings on conveyor belts in the mining industry are often coated with thermoplastic. An example of such a thermoplastic is ENVIROPEEL E170 from A&E Systems of Malaysia.
The conventional system of accomplishing this is to heat the thermoplastic in a static tank having a heated bottom, relying on all heat to transfer upwardly from the bottom. Melted thermoplastic is then sprayed using a 230V 3-phase system. One example of such a system is the sprayer available through the aforementioned A&E Systems of Malaysia. However, this system has shortcomings. For one, the conventional system requires 230V, which is not always readily available. In addition, it requires at least two hours to achieve full tank melt because the melting vessel is, in essence, a large high-temperature slow-cooker. In addition, the system is large and cumbersome, and therefore is not reasonably moved from one location to another. This is problematic because it isn't always feasible to remove mechanical parts, bring them to a sprayer to be coated, then reinstall those coated parts afterwards.
As can be seen, there is a need for a self-contained device for heating and spraying thermoplastics. It is desirable that this system is capable of running off a standard 120 V source, and is single phase. It is also desirable that the system is capable of melting thermoplastic relatively quickly, and relatively energy efficiently. It is also desirable that this system is portable insofar as it can be used in one location; unplugged, replugged, transported and used in another location; and so forth.